Henry stephens



QNo Model.)

H. STEPHENS.

N0. 490,232. Patented Jan; 17, 1893t IIIIIIII Il mvg/vm By l mains me nofws Pcfzns ca. won-umm wasn-umm. n c

Unrrnn Sra'rns arn'r einen,

HENRY STEPHENS, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO CHARLES D. SILLEOK, OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL-BAG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 490,232, dated January 1'?, 1893.

Application led May 16, 1891. Serial No. 392,956. (No model.)

To alt whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bags, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mail-bags, whereby the locking of the same is facilitated and at the same time 'the direction conveniently applied to the bag by means of a tag-receiver; and the invention consists of a mail-bag the mouth of which is provided with a number of slotted openings reinforced by grommets, and a locking tongue passed through said openings when the mouth of the bag is folded, one end of said tongue being connected by a chain to a xed staple of the bag while the opposite end is locked by a tag-frame which is applied to a staple at the opposite end of the bag. The lockingtongue is formed of a main-plate passing through the grommet, and of T-shap ed heads that are connected by a pivot-pin which passes through a centralopening of the main-plate of the tongue, as will be fully described hereinafter and nally be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a perspective View of my improved mail-bag; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the locking tongue of the same, shown as detached therefrom; Fig. 3 is a side-view of the mailbag shown with folded and locked mouth; and Fig. a is a vertical transverse section of the locking tongue, on line 4, 4, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a Inail-bag of the ordinary construction, which is provided at its mouth with a number of slotted openings a that are reinforced by the ordinary grommets a. "When the mail-bag is closed the mouth of the same is folded up, so that the openings reinforced by the grommets are in line with each oth er, through which a locking tongue B is placed, which is connected by a chain b to a staple h which is attached to one side of the bag, as shown clearly in Fig. l. To the opposite side of the bag is applied by means of a staple d, a tag-frame D into which the tag on which the destination of the bag is marked, is inserted. The tag-frarneD is provided with a slot d at its outer end, which serves to be placed over the projecting end of the locking tongue B. The locking tongue B is formed of three parts, a fiat mainpiece c formed of two plates which are riveted together and which are provided with a longitudinal center hole formed of two grooves arranged in the adjacent faces of the plates of Which'the main-piece is formed, and two T- shaped heads e and e2 which are connected by a pivot-pin or spindle that passes through the longitudinal hole of the main-piece and is rigidly attached to the heads e' and c2. The T- shaped heads e and e2 are provided with openings 192 b3 respectively for attaching the chain h and the bail of a padlock by which the mailbag is held in closed position. By means of the pivot-connection of the T-shaped heads e and e2 With the main-part e of the locking tongue B, the heads can be turned at rightangles to the plane of the main-piece e, which is done after the tongue is passed through the grommets, as shown in Fig. 3, so that in this position the heads bind on the folded-u p mouth of the bag and retain it firmly in position, so as to permit the placing of the slotted end of the tag-frame over the projecting head e2 of the tongue. A padlock is then applied to the head e2, as shown in Fig. 3, and the mouth of the bag and the tag-frame locked thereby rigidly and reliably in position. By this arrangement, a tag-frame on which the direction of the bag is marked, is furnished in connection with a reliable locking device for the bag, while the inail-bag can be conveniently opened and closed and is provided with all the safeguards required by a good and reliable bag.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination, with a mail-bag the mouth of which is provided with slotted openings, a locking tongue passed through said openings and connected at one end by a chain to a staple on the bag, and atag-frame applied to a staple at the opposite side of the bag, said' tag-frame being provided with a slot for being placed over the tongue and locked thereto, substantially as set forth.

IOO

K '2; Thofoombnation, with .a mail-bag -hav- YVdoc'wsh,anslot'dntngomfer the opposite head ing a, mouth provided with slotted openngs,k of the ooking` tongue, substantially ons.y Seti f n 'of alooking tonguopassed through said openforth. f Y f f y y k ingsand formedof ammo-piece andT-shapod in testimony that Ioam the foregoing as ghoads connected by a longitudinal pinfamd ynovilovont'cmIla-ave signed my oamoin prios- 15ok pivotod toy said middle portion, said heads bo. one@ of twoksubsoribing Witnesses, ing'providedwthopeningga ohainkkoonnootf n n l l l l f f ing ono of saidheads'with a fixed staple at o Witnesses: o f ono end ofthe bag, andl al tag-frame applied o PAULGOEPEL, :o to a staple at the opposite end ofthe bagno-oo o, o, CHARLESSOHRQEDER 1 HENRY ,STEPHENS` 

